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Help....Question about Dees nest.......

17 years ago

Have any of you had a hard time seeing the eggs on a Dees nest? What do you use to look at them since they normally cover them? I looked yesterday and used a pencil and very carefully moved the fur and saw one egg. I put a reducer on the box and didn't see any activity around it today however it is hard to see from the house but I normally see them in the morning at least once peaking out of the box then I don't see hide nor hair the rest of the day. I Didn't get to look until after 12:30 today and I just cannot tell if there is another egg or not. It looked different than yesterday more tightly packed if that makes sense and I see one egg again but cannot tell if there is another one in there or not, it could be under the one I see and I certainly don't want to touch the egg at all, I know they are very delicate. For fear that they didn't accept the reducer I took it off. Should of just added the wren guard yesterday instead of the reducer as that would have detered other birds too not just the wren. Dumb on my part. So I will wait until tomorrow and see if I can see another egg or not and if I do add the wren guard. But then I will be all worried that they don't accept that either. Why are things so stomach wrenching for us nestbox monitors?? I did see one of the Dees at the feeder before but geesh I am scared that I scared them off now by adding that reducer. So any way my question was for those of you that do monitor Dees and check on them, is it hard to tell how many eggs are really in there? The pics on the silais sight make it look so nice and easy to see but my Dee has things packed in there so tight you cannot tell there is even a nestcup until you move the hair around a bit but even then it is hard to see. Maybe once she has laid more eggs (if I haven't scared her) it will get easier.

Thanks!

Donna

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Comments (2)

janie_may
17 years ago
Donna, good question! I checked my dees box when I thought they were laying and found not one single egg but then found three the next day so obviously the other two were there the day before, I just couldn't see them. I don't like to poke around since the eggs are so fragile.

After I know that at least the first is laid I keep my calendar and then check at the end of what would be the 6th egg. Momma dee is generally incubating by then and if I can knock and get her to leave w/o time to cover her eggs, THEN I can get a correct count.

Don't worry, she'll be back! :D

I had the craziest dee fledging ever this year. One baby's foot was STUCK TIGHT on something in the nesting material. On day 22, I'd had enough and decided I had to look to see if the babies were OK. The other 3 had fledged (I had six eggs, one unhatched and one baby that died early on and was buried in the nest, part of what the little dees was "stuck" on) so this last little dee had been alone in that box for (probably) 3 or 4 days! Thank heavens I made the decision to open the box. It took me ten minutes and a bowl of warm water to get the leg/toe unstuck! I was shaking like a leaf but all went well. I put the dee, nest and all, back in the box and the adults were there in minutes to get him. I'm sure he was thrilled to finally be able to fledge! I am absolutely wild about my dees.... probably my favorite box nester. Shhhh, don't tell the blues!

As far as the wren guard, I think it should be safe to add it now that she's started laying. Just keep a close eye out to be sure she figures it out. If she doesn't seem to accept it you might have to remove it and try again in a day or two.
dzyg
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Janie May, I have bigger problems now though and I am still shaking. I could kick myself for not getting that wren guard on the box first. I just added a new post...omg I am so upset.. a wren was just in the Dees box, thankfully the eggs (2 of them) look fine, it hadn't found them yet. They seem to be sitting on the bottom of the box now though, they were still covered a bit when I chased the wren out, omg had I looked any later they would have been history. I am pretty sure one was on top of the other when I checked before. One seems to have some hair stuck to it but I am pretty sure that is how it was before (because that is what it seemed like before) and not because a hole was pecked in it. Like I said I didn't see any holes and they were still mostly covered when I looked in after chasing the wren away. The wren guard is up, I had to screw it onto the box as duct tape wouldn't hold on the wet wood. Please say a prayer that the wren will avoid the box now with the guard up AND that the Dees will accept it. Now I have to look again tomorrow to see if the Dee laid another egg or not. They are so elusive right now, I hardly see them except here and there at the feeder.

Glad you were able to rescue your little Dee, what a great story!!

Donna
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